The Special Bear - there's perfection in imperfections

Apart from racial, cultural and religious diversity, we will at some point, often or not encounter people who are different from ourselves.

Different isn't bad. We know that.

However, we do see people treating others who are different with contempt.

Unkind words are often whispered or in fact said out loud, more so in this thriving social media era.

Diversity in itself is hard for adults like ourselves to accept, what more our little ones.

However, I firmly believe respect for humans, or any living thing for that matter is built into one's character and I guess responsibility largely lies with us, parents.

One mummy went a little step further with the books she write.

She wrote "The Special Bear", hoping to teach kids that love transcends all.

The special bear was made different, unlike those cute cuddly "normal" ones. He had missing body parts and a missing eye. Kids who come into the toy shop all shunned him and he is pretty much left on the shelf.

Then one day, he became the chosen one, bought as a present for someone as special as him, who loves him despite him not being perfect.

I think the lesson here is that no one is perfect. And, despite our imperfections, we are special in our own way. We have to learn to accept not only other people's imperfection but our own as well.

As I write this at this point, I am struggling within on how to bring this message across to my own child, who has currently been diagnosed with a very rare autoimmune disease.

He will be required to go through prolonged treatment, and will at some point look and feel different from his friends. We cannot control how his friends react towards him, but we want him to exude the same confidence he always had.

Tough journey for the family ahead, but we will figure it out, and i think this book has come in handy.